It’s a good time to be a writer in Beacon! If you are an aspiring wordsmith, an accomplished author, or looking to find a supportive literary community to help you work though a current project, there are so many resources for you right now. Here’s a rundown of some of what’s currently on tap.
Get Lit Beacon
This fabulous new literary salon, started by talented local author Julie Chibbaro (National Jewish Book Award winner for Deadly, a Junior Library Guild Selection for Into the Dangerous World, and American Book Award winner for Redemption), meets on the second Sunday of each month at Oak Vino Wine Bar at 389 Main St. You can find out more on the group's Facebook Page, but the idea is that it’s a casual gathering where published and aspiring adult writers of any genre can hang out, have a glass of wine and share their work. Feeling like expressing yourself? There’s a sign-up sheet at the door if you want to read aloud. Chibbaro reveals the genesis of the group: “I started this event because I often hear about other writers in my town, but since I’m a homebody, I don’t get to meet them. This is a way for me to invite them out and hear their work.”
There have been two Get Lit salon events so far, and they were both inspiring and well-attended. The next one, scheduled for Sunday, March 11, will feature a reading by novelist and children’s book author Jennifer Castle.
High School Writing Lab & Zine Club
Are you a teen and a writer? Beacon has you covered, too. The Howland Library has a writing group for teens designed to provide support, assistance, and encouragement for students in grades 9-12 who are working on school or creative writing projects and college essays. There’s also a Zine Club for writers, artists, and photographers (the next meeting is Friday, March 16, from 3 to 5 pm). More info about this and other great library offerings for teens can be found here on the Howland Public LIbrary's website (the top says February but it is March's events). In the past, the library has offered help sessions for writers in high school.
Other Goings-On for Writers at the Howland Public Library
Also at the library is an ongoing Book Club, an upcoming book launch for Judith Filc (Thursday, April 12). The Howland Library just hosted (on Saturday, March 3) a memoir-writing workshop for adults with Donna Minkowitz, the author of two memoirs, Ferocious Romance (a Lambda Literary Award winner) and Growing Up Golem (a finalist for both a Lambda Literary Award and the Judy Grahn Nonfiction Award). Donna became known for her coverage of gay and lesbian politics and culture in The Village Voice from the late 1980s through the mid-1990s, for which she won a GLAAD Media Award. She is a former feature writer for the Village Voice, and has also written for New York magazine, Ms., The Collagist, The Advocate, and Newsday. She teaches with the New York Writers Workshop and independently - sometimes in Beacon!
The Artist’s Way – A Creative Cluster
For folks who want to reflect on their own creative process, or tap into something that needs unclogged, this Creative Cluster is an exciting and creative group that meets at A Little Beacon Space on Sundays. It loosely follows the classic book, The Artist's Way, created and written by Julia Cameron. The group is being “lightly led” by Katie Hellmuth Martin. According to the event page's description, this is a “gentle group, where people who are reading the book and going through their journey can share their thoughts and connect with others.” Artists, Non-Artists, Regular People, and People Who Want To Be An Artist But Think They Are Far From Being An Artist are welcome. This session runs from March to May and is full, but check back for info about the next session. Lots of answers to all of your questions about participating can be found here.
Classes, Readings and Book Clubs
Around town, several writing groups who would like to remain anonymous meet regularly at various watering holes and other locations. At their meetings, more active or professional writers workshop their projects and critique one another’s work. There's even a secret writers' group who won't reveal their details, but we can tell you that they meet inside of The Telephone Building, which is also the location of A Little Beacon Blog's office. They are so elusive and quiet as they hide behind their laptops, that we can only tell you that it’s for writers who have been published in national magazines and so forth.
If you are interested in small writers workshops or classes, poets Ruth Danon will soon be offering some in Beacon, while Jeffrey McDaniel offers workshops in Cold Spring. And Julie Chibbaro, of Get Lit Salon fame, also offers a writing workshop that is mostly for fiction and non-fiction writers.
Finally, we can’t pass up a chance to big-up Binnacle Books at 321 Main St., Beacon, NY. They offer an impressive selection of books, a willingness to order anything we want as long as it’s available, and a number of great readings, events and book club meetings.
Plus, see here for the great lengths gone to by Beacon Reads, the little bookstore next to the Howland Public Library. Proceeds from their book sales (of donations and retired library books) go toward the Howland Public Library. In this photo below, a volunteer from Beacon Reads hand-delivered a copy of The Artist's Way to the first meeting of the creative cluster.
A volunteer from Beacon Reads (left) hand-delivered a copy of The Artist's Way to a study group participant, Martha P. Humphreys (right). Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin
Get out of your comfort zone and into CoMFY’s zone this weekend: The Beacon-based CoMFY art collective presents the 4th annual group show at the Howland Public Library. Yellow Wallpaper Revisited showcases artwork by nearly 30 Hudson Valley women, drawing inspiration from a controversial short story, The Yellow Wallpaper, written in 1892 by early feminist Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The show opens with a reception on March 10, part of can’t-miss Second Saturday festivities in Beacon.
Michelle Rivas, the exhibit’s coordinator and an artist in the show, describes the groundbreaking source material: “The Yellow Wallpaper tells the story of a young woman's descent into madness while confined to a room with yellow wallpaper. With no other stimulation, she begins to obsess about the wallpaper's pattern until she imagines there are many women trapped inside the design.” According to Wikipedia, "Gilman wrote this story to change people's minds about the role of women in society, illustrating how women's lack of autonomy is detrimental to their mental, emotional, and even physical well-being.
Feminism and Artistic Identity, Spanning Two Centuries
Delving into the inner emotional lives of women, especially mothers, Gilman once claimed that The Yellow Wallpaper was "not intended to drive people crazy, but to save people from being driven crazy, and it worked." Making art - whether with paint, ceramics, drawing, fabric, fiber, photos, voice, or dance - is an outlet by which people may plant a flag, declare identity, and save themselves from being driven crazy.
Gilman’s art - writing - was a revolutionary act of expressing identity. She explored the limitations imposed on 19th-century women, as well as what happens when prisons get created in our own minds after we take advice from supposedly well-meaning but clueless authority figures (often men, especially 126 years ago...remember that time when married women couldn't open bank accounts or own property?).
As women’s voices and powerful stories have been amplified over the past year or two in the United States, Gilman's early feminist work has seen new light, and struck a nerve. This exhibition is an ideal place to check in with the creative identities of women based in the Beacon area.
What or Who is CoMFY? Beacon Women’s Balancing Act
Many of the presenting artists will be familiar to longtime fans of Beacon-based art, and anyone who has been paying attention at Beacon Open Studios and other local events for the past decade and a half. All of the artists belong to CoMFY, which stands for Creatives, Mamas, Friends and Yahoos.
"After the Yellow Wallpaper" by Anna Bergin
"So Begins The End" by Mary Ann Glass
"Yellow Box" by Margot Kingon
"Unheard of Contradictions" by Jennifer Sarah Blakeslee
"Kiss Me Deadly" by Anna West
Way back in the fall of 2011, a few Beacon women got together over coffee for a conversation about the challenges of balancing life and creative endeavors. Kat Stoughtenborough and Jennifer Sarah Blakeslee used the momentum to get a group going in a more organized, though informal, way. (Kat was no stranger to gathering artists for cool events. She was the heart and muscle behind CherryBomb, one of Beacon’s first holiday shopping pop-up dreamscapes. It showcased the work of both male and female artists, transforming the Zora Dora’s paletaria space into a winter wonderland.) Though the group’s members don’t meet up as often as they’d like, they say, they’re proud that the supportive network has endured.
Mixed Media piece by Jennifer Blakeslee, on display as part of CoMFY exhibit.
Yellow Wallpaper's themes resonate easily with women, those who have kids and those who don't. Blakeslee, who has been diagnosed with clinical depression, anxiety disorder, and bipolar disorder and is an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness and therapy, made an especially personal connection between her piece and the short story. “I’ve never done anything like this before, where I use another medium alongside a photograph. ... It feels good to break out of my comfort zone, too, especially about a story that explores the terrifying, twisty tunnels of mental illness.”
Yellow Wallpaper Revisited's participating artists include Maria Amor, Anna Bergin, Jennifer Blakeslee, Holly Bogdanffy-Kriegh, Lily Burana, Kit Burke-Smith, Arabella Champaq, Caiming Cheung, Dana Devine O'Malley, Jan Dolan, Mary Ann Glass, Theresa Gooby, Cindy Gould, Philomena Kiernan, Margot Kingon, Margaux Lange, Lori Merhige, Jean Noack, Virginia Piazza, Jaime Pivar, Michelle Rivas, Keely Sheehan, Christine Seymour Price, Jennifer Smith, Bekah Starr, Kat Stoutenborough, Anna West, and Regina Williams.
Yellow Wallpaper Revisited opens Saturday, March 10, and runs through Friday, April 6. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, March 10 - Beacon’s Second Saturday! - from 5 to 7 pm. Otherwise, the Community Room Exhibit Space is open during regular library hours; find them at the Beacon library’s website.
Oh, the snow... Remember this blizzard last year, when the National Guard came in to take truckloads of snow away? These little snowflake emojis are staying here in the newsletter for as long as they keep flittering in and out of weather forecasts on our phones. But just because you're all snugly and snowed in, don't assume that your favorite shops are also hunkered down. So many of them have been open, shoveling their sidewalks for you to walk down. So get your boots on!
Beacon Record & CD Fest Day: Saturday, March 10, 2018 Time: 9 am to 5 pm Location: VFW Post, 413 Main St., Beacon, NY
20 vendors selling new and used LPs, 45s, CDs, DVDs, concert posters, rock 'n' roll memorabilia, vintage stereo equipment and more! Some of the vendors who were at last year's Record Store Pop-Up at A Little Beacon Space will be back together at this mega record event! Information >
The Yellow Wallpaper Revisited - A Group Exhibition Reception Day: Saturday, March 10, 2018 Time: 5 to 7 pm Location: Howland Public Library 313 Main St., Beacon, NY
The exhibit features artwork by nearly 30 local women, inspired by the classic 19th-century feminist short story, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The show is the fourth annual exhibit from the group CoMFY, a collective of women artists from the Beacon area. Information >
Beacon's St. Patrick’s Day Parade Day: Saturday, March 10, 2018 Time: 11 amd to 2 pm Location: Main Street, Beacon, NY
The parade route is from Polhill Park (near Bank Square) all the way to the dummy light.
☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️ Information >
The Mitten - A Family Musical Experience Day: Saturday, March 10, 2018 Time: 10 am and 3 pm Location: Howland Cultural Center, 477 Main St., Beacon, NY Information >
2018 Maple Fest at Randolph School Day: Saturday, March 10, 2018 Time: Pancake Breakfast, 11 am to 1 pm; festival, 1 to 4 pm Location: Randolph School, 2467 Route 9D, Wappingers Falls, NY
The Randolph School will host its eighth annual Maple Fest, a traditional maple-sugaring event for the whole community. Information >
Sacred Sound Ritual with Jessica Caplan & Sean Hoots Day: Saturday, March 10, 2018 Time: 4 to 5:30 pm Location: Beacon Yoga, 464 Main St., Beacon, NY Information >
Square Dance at the Howland Day: Saturday, March 10, 2018 Time: 8 to 10:30 pm Location: Howland Cultural Center, 477 Main St., Beacon, NY
Squares and big circle dances in the Southern Mountain style. Information >
Plan ahead and check out what's coming up this month in ourEvents Guide.
Thank you to Beacon Pilates for sponsoring the Classes for Adults Guide!
Hudson Valley Women In Business Member Meeting Day: Monday, March 12, 2018 Time: 5:30 to 7:30 pm Location: A Little Beacon Space, 291 Main St., Beacon, NY
Must be a member of HVWiB. Membership is free, and can be initiated here. Information >
The Cinehub 7th Annual Mixer Day: Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Time: 7 to 10:30 pm Location: Dogwood, 47 E Main St., Beacon, NY
For a full list of upcoming classes and workshops of all kinds, visit our Adult Classes Guide.
Beacon Junior Baseball Registration Open
Day: Now! Location: Games are held at Memorial Park Registration Information > Thank you Beacon Junior Baseball for sponsoring this Kids Classes Guide!
Glenham Elementary Ice Cream & Bingo Night Day: Friday, March 9 Time: 6 to 8 pm Location: Glenham Elementary, 20 Chase Drive, Fishkill, NY
The Glenham Elementary PTO is inviting you to come with the kids to play some bingo and eat FREE ice cream donated by Stewart's! Back by popular demand, the one and only Mrs. Jacques is the announcer.
Rombout Middle School Zumba + Line Dancing Fundraiser Day: Saturday, March 10 Time: Noon Location: Glenham Elementary, 20 Chase Drive, Fishkill, NY
Shake what your mama gave you at Rombout Middle School on Saturday, March 10, at noon for some Zumba and Line Dancing to benefit the Rombout PBIS Committee. $10 per person.
Tiny World Terrariums! at Compass Arts Day: Sunday, March 11, 2018 Time: Noon to 2 pm Information >
[STARTS] Afro-Modern Fusion I at Compass Arts Grades: Pre-K to 1st Days: Wednesdays, March 7 to May 23, 2018 Time: 4 to 4:45 pm Information >
Hudson Valley Restaurant Week Days: March 12-25, 2018
Several Beacon restaurants are participating, as are many more you've been longing to try, all around the Hudson Valley! Full List of Restaurants >
Luxe Optique 183 Main Street www.luxeoptique.com (across Cliff Street from Beacon Bread Company)
Does this face look familiar? It's everyone's favorite Karen from the Green Room, stopping into Luxe Optique to pick up her frames. She's a collector of frames, and officially gives us permission to own more than one pair of glasses! This photo is part of Luxe Optique's #GetLuxed campaign. Got a photo you want to share? Send it to us!
BOUTIQUES ON THE EAST END PARKING HINT: Park behind 1 East Main by the Hudson Valley Brewery and use the back walkway to come up to Main Street!
Style Storehouse
484 Main Street www.stylestorehouse.com (near Utensil)
Leggings...Leggings...Leggings...
They make make outfits so easy, and last through so many seasons. Style Storehouse always has a few different styles of leggings on hand so you can buy just right.
Lambs Hill Bridal Boutique
1 East Main, Retail #3 www.lambshillbridalboutique.com (near the dummy light)
Lambs Hill is expanding! In a deal brokered with Gate House Realty, they will be splitting the space and creating another amazing experience in 1 East Main! Keep it tuned here to find out more.
Wares Opening Party Day: Saturday, March 10, 2018 Time: 2 to 5 pm Location: 2 Tioronda Ave., Beacon, NY(the former Magpie Studio near the silos)
Wares is a curated lifestyle shop, supporting independent designers. If you love good design in small batches, you’ll delight in this shop. To celebrate their newly opened doors, they are inviting you to stop by for sips and a snack. Give the proprietress Andrea a warm welcome - and a cheers!
Thank you to the following shops for sponsoring our Shopping Guide! Luxe Optique, Lambs Hill, and Style Storehouse.
CreateSpace Beacon's 50% Off Blowout and DIY Craft Day: Saturday, March 10, 2018 Time: 9 am to 6 pm Location: 145 Main St., Beacon, NY
Antalek & Moore Insurance Agency
Save your spot! Join Susan Antalek Pagones as she instructs this defensive driving course! The next Defensive Driving class is Sunday, April 21 (the one in March sold out!). Why take defensive driving?
May reduce points (up to 4) on your driving record
Save up to 10% on a vehicle's liability, PIP (Personal Injury Protection) and collision premium for up to 3 years off Principal Operator
No formal tests!
Pre-registration is required. Only $35 per person and lunch is included. RSVP: Call (845) 831-4300 or email Thomasine at tsupple@antalek-moore.com.
BeaconArts
This joint fundraiser features an all-star cast of Beacon community leaders and other luminaries, battling it out in support of BeaconArts and the Center for Creative Education. Hosted by the fabulous Pissi Myles. Date: Thursday, March 15, 2018 Tickets >
InHouse Design Media
The photographers and designers of InHouse Design Media can help you take amazing pictures for your Instagram. This four-week private workshop is like an amazing fitness class, but to whip your photo skills into shape. Details >
Tin Shingle
Have you created something wonderful? People need to know about your product, right? Tin Shingle is an empowerment zone for business owners, artists and makers who need to survive and thrive. Join at our Community Level to ask questions about marketing, PR, Google, and more in a safe space in our online groups, and once a month in person at our meeting. Details >
Beacon Chamber of Commerce
The Beacon Chamber of Commerce welcomes new people to its Board for a fresh start to 2018. Recording Secretary: Kathy Sandford, Antalek & Moore Insurance Agency Corresponding Secretary: Terry Williams, Antalek & Moore Insurance Agency Director: John Gilvey, Hudson Beach Glass Director: Annmarie Spiilief, CIA Security See all Board Members >
A Little Beacon Space
The time is right to host your workshop, now you just need a venue. A Little Beacon's Space, conveniently located in the heart of Beacon, is a perfect spot to fit your audience.
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Happy Second Saturday, people of Beacon! Break that snowbound cabin fever by getting out and seeing some incredible art. We've got it all covered in Beacon's most comprehensive Art Gallery Guide.
Several shows around town are specifically celebrating Women's History Month, while other venues are exhibiting female artists' work. There's a new gallery/shop in town, Artifact Beacon, over on the East End of Main Street. Also note: The return of Scribbleheads, and the stellar work of talented Beacon High School art students at The Lofts At Beacon. Check the Guide for details!
A Little Beacon Blog now tracks the fundraising efforts for all of Beacon's public schools, and a few events are coming up! Movie Night, Line Dancing, Ice Cream Night - and Rubik's Cubes! See below for our roundup, and hit up A Little Beacon Blog's Public School Fundraising Guide for dates and details.
PS: Do you love this Guide? Your business could support it (with your logo as a lead sponsor) and reach so many parents in the Beacon community! Please contact us to be a lead sponsor, and thank you!
JV FORRESTAL ELEMENTARY: • Rubik's Cubes for Hands-On Library Learning: JVF Librarian Ms. Coleman is raising money to buy Rubik's Cubes that students can check out of the library. • Beacon's All-Star Lip Sync Battle: This adults-only event at the Towne Crier raises money to support the Center for Creative Education's outreach programs to BCSD schools! • Book Fair Next week!
GLENHAM ELEMENTARY • Ice Cream & Bingo Night! Friday, March 9, from 6 to 8 pm. Kids and adults get to play bingo and eat FREE ice cream, donated by Stewart's.
ROMBOUT MIDDLE SCHOOL • Shake What Your Mama Gave You! Zumba and line dancing to benefit the Rombout PBIS Committee!
BEACON HIGH SCHOOL • Movie Night! In the Beacon High School Cafeteria, Beacon High School's National Honor Society is sponsoring the Valuable for Veterans fundraiser, screening the Academy Award-winning movie "Coco."
The past two weeks have been paralyzing for a lot of people, especially parents of young kids currently in school. As the region was gripped by threats made last week all over the Hudson Valley, last Friday's Snow Day was actually kind of welcome. Parents received several robo-calls - which normally announce dreaded Snow Day closures. Instead, these were about threats made to the middle school and the high school, and how police would be stationed there. A Little Beacon Blog took time to process what has been going on around the Hudson Valley and open up coverage on it, so that we can produce future articles to help people be aware and prepared. The below links are articles to create awareness of the leadership that has been happening in the Beacon City School District, Beacon Police Department, and some cultural questions about these issues.
PS: Finally, this mini-series of articles is done (hopefully!) and we are moving on, resuming our usual coverage of the goings-on in Beacon! Not only that, but it's sunny out! Hurray! Yet all signs point to a Wednesday Snow Day. <angry-face emoji> Sleds may still be available at Mountain Tops, where the superhero owners continue to show up every Snow Day with an Open sign.
This is (hopefully) the last in our series on gun shootings, because writing about this is no fun, but has been unavoidable after the last two weeks. The first response to the tragic events was feeling helpless. Questions like this ring loud when bad things happen: "What can I do? What are my kids doing? What are my kids trained to do? Are they being trained on the right things in Lock Down Drills? What am I trained to do? I don't even know how a gun works, and I'm fine with that, but what if I needed to use one?"
So many questions. I reached out to Beacon's new police chief, Kevin Junjulas, to ask if any community training workshops of any kind would be coming up. He responded right away with a flyer (pictured below) that came across his desk from Hudson Valley Safety Associates, LLC. The company is hosting a free Active Shooter training workshop on Thursday, March 15, in Brewster, NY. Beacon's city administrator, Anthony Ruggiero, responded that our city is planning on something in April.
And with the recent uptick in house fires, Beacon Fire Chief Gary Van Voorhis also recommended making a fire safety plan: Get together with your family and sketch out all of your home's windows and doors that could be used as escape routes, and then repeatedly practice getting out in a hurry. He really means business, too: He offered to come over to help us with forming our plan. #thatwasawesome
Blended screenshots of sales pages at Walmart's website, where this pink BB gun could have been sold to any prospective buyer, regardless of age (the age limit tool was broken). Walmart has since reversed its online sales policy, and now prohibits purchases of airsoft guns and toys. Photo Credit: A Little Beacon Blog
Growing up, you probably played Cowboys and Indians, Cops and Robbers, or countless other kid games with guns. Your finger probably became a gun. Pew-pew! Your sister's magic wand probably became a gun. Heck, maybe a magic wand counts as a gun, when it hits someone with glitter.
Guns in our culture are as commonplace as staplers, or pens. You could even buy a bullet pen! I did for my dad last Christmas. I grew up making shotgun shells with him in our basement. He had the neatest shotgun shell-making thingy that clamped to the edge of the table. Toy guns for kids are sold in toy stores, in drug stores, and on any toy store website. How could you not want a Luke Skywalker laser gun? Or a Nerf gun blaster? And with YouTube videos featuring dads and their sons in all-out Nerf gun wars around the house, shooting people becomes very normal.
Toy Guns In Beacon
Echo Beacon, open for more than 10 years and one of Beacon's most popular toy stores, doesn't carry toy guns. Owner Karen Donohue is a mother of a daughter, and made the decision years ago not to sell toy guns in her toy store. "I chose not to sell toy guns, as it just made me uncomfortable. I've been told by mothers of boys that they [the boys] will find any sort of stick or anything, and turn it into a gun despite Mom's efforts to say 'No,'" Karen recalls.
Echo is known for carrying educational toys, and Karen is big on nurturing the imagination. "I still feel this is a better use of the imagination than something that truly resembles a gun. I have, on occasion over the years, sold miniature squirt pistols, but nothing that could ever be remotely mistaken for a gun. In recent years I've been tempted to order them again, but they still give me pause."
Fatal Mistakes
Back in 2014, a 12 year old boy named Tamir Rice was shot and killed by a rookie police officer while he was playing near a gazebo at a recreation center in Cleveland, OH. The boy was holding a pellet gun and a person called 911 to report that a person who was "probably" a child was holding a gun that was "probably fake," according to this Washington Post article. The officer was not told about the "probably" parts, and approached the child, and shot. The child died in the snow. The officer was not fired at the time, but in May of 2017, was fired for not including details about past employment when he was first hired months before the shooting, according to that Washing Post article.
Walmart Pulls Airsoft BB Guns From Website
Gun culture makes getting guns easy and a normalized part of life. When I published this article after the Parkland, Florida tragedy, I included a screenshot of Walmart's website to show how easy it was to purchase a rifle online. A reader commented that the rifle shown in the example was a BB gun, and not, I suppose, an assault weapon. The implication, it seemed, was that buying a BB gun was no big deal. Not wanting to exacerbate the debate, I removed the picture to keep the focus on finding a solution. In that time, however, Walmart announced that it was pulling rifles like BB guns from their website (see the NPR report "Walmart Joins Dick's Sporting Goods In Tighter Limits On Gun Sales"). And in an instant, the page I had just visited to buy the pink rifle BB gun had vanished.
From the NPR Article: Walmart is also removing items from its website "resembling assault-style rifles, including nonlethal airsoft guns and toys" — like the air gun Tamir Rice was playing with when he was shot by a Cleveland police officer who thought the 12-year-old was armed.
Companies aren't wanting to be associated with gun accidents or planned tragedies. So they are backing away and minimizing their liability. Any connection with tragedies is bad for business; the gun shop owner who sold the Parkland shooter one of his weapons felt compelled to hire a PR company to help issue statements. The issue of gun control has taken on a new dimension as companies get involved by limiting - or even ending altogether - their involvement.
The Mindset of Guns as Toys, Tools, and the Norm
A page from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, where a swim meet starts with a pistol blast, scaring the Wimpy Kid.
With guns being so prevalent in everyday lives, is it time to look at them differently? Would fresh perspective curb the ease with which they are used as a solution to a social problem? To a troubled, heartbroken, misunderstood teenager?
The picture above is taken from a page in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. In the book, the Wimpy Kid is forced to join a swim team. The first thing that scares him is the pistol shot to start the meet. He thinks it is a real gun, and hides under the water.
Why is a pistol used to start a swim meet? Could a whistle be used?
Why are toy pistols sold in a toy store? When a toy pistol is placed at 5-year-olds' eye level, where it hangs right next to something neutral like a slime-making kit or glow-in-the-dark bouncy ball, it conditions young minds that guns are toys.
The Not Discussed, Uncomfortable Notion of Gun Safety and Preparedness
If we consider CPR courses, Defensive Driving courses, and Fire Safety workshops to be normal and accepted practice, could Gun Safety training courses also become normal? To train prospective users that guns are really not toys, should be taken seriously, and how to use a gun in dangerous or threatening situations?
I asked Beacon's City Administrator, Anthony Ruggiero, if there had been any Active Shooter Training Workshops in Beacon. He responded that there have been in the past, when Beacon sponsored the County Citizens Preparedness Training courses, but he added that the sessions were not very well attended. He says another will be hosted in April.
Perhaps the mindset will shift, to one away from being a sitting duck, and one toward mental defense (think Bourne Identity...where are the exits? how to fight back? what everyday objects can become lifesaving tools?), planning, and rooting out the mindset of guns as toys.
Beacon's School Superintendent Matthew Landahl announced Sunday via the school blog that all school buildings will undergo security audits by the company Altaris Consulting Group in order to receive recommendations for improvement. Altaris Consulting Group will also provide specialized training for Beacon City School District staff throughout the next year.
"They [Altaris Consulting Group] work with many districts in the area and we are very excited to start this work," said Dr. Landahl in his blog article.
UPDATE [3/6/2018]: The City Council voted Yes, and Beacon's School Superintendent attended the meeting and thanked the Beacon Police Department for their recent help.
During the March 5, 2018 City Council Meeting, the Beacon City Council will vote on a resolution to join the National Day of Action on April 20 to Protect Students Against Gun Violence, which is a movement spearheaded by the Network for Public Education after the shooting in Parkland, Florida. The Network for Public Education was founded in 2013 as an advocacy group whose mission is to preserve, promote, improve and strengthen public schools for both current and future generations of students.
As Stated by the Network for Public Education: "Inspired by the courageous young people in Parkland, Florida, the Network for Public Education is joining with national organizations, schools and communities on April 20, 2018, the anniversary of the Columbine Massacre, to say 'No more.'
"Not one more child murdered in school. Not one more parent sending a child to school who never comes home. Not one more teacher, coach, principal, librarian or any school staff standing between students and a gunman. No. More.
"We call on every school community in America to join us to demand that our leaders take real action to end gun violence."
According to proposed legislation documents for Beacon, the Beacon City Council intends to join a National Day of Action on April 20, 2018, and "calls upon the state and federal governments to enact stricter controls governing the sale, possession and distribution of firearms and other dangerous weapons."
Several legislative suggestions are proposed on the National Day of Action's website, addressing gun control, mental health, and bullying prevention. At the local level here in Beacon, the City Council has written the following items to be sent to New York State Senator Sue Serino and Assemblyman Frank Skartados, and United States Representative Sean Patrick Maloney and United States Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer:
Beacon City Council's Suggested Legislation for New York State
Legislation to raise the age to purchase a firearm to 21.
Legislation to ban bump stocks.
Legislation to prohibit the sale, production and importation of assault weapons and large capacity magazines.
Legislation to prevent certain individuals with mental health conditions from buying firearms, in conjunction with legislation, regulations or public policies that encourage mental health evaluations, including ongoing mental and behavioral health support for students identified as being of imminent threat to themselves or others, and enhanced student access to mental health supports in schools and communities.
Additional Gun Awareness Events
Attendees at the February 20, 2018, City Council meeting thanked Mayor Randy Casale for holding a moment of silence for the victims of the Parkland, Florida, shooting. They then promoted nationwide events that are going on to address the issue, namely the school walkout on March 14, and nationwide demonstrations on March 24, 2018.
This week via the school blog, Beacon Schools' Superintendent Matthew Landahl announced a collaboration with the Beacon Police Department: "Working with the Beacon PD, we will have one police officer working between both Beacon High School and Rombout Middle School during the school day for the upcoming week. The presence of the police officer is simply to help us feel safe and secure next week. Thanks to the BPD for helping us out!"
The superintendent will be releasing more information on how Beacon City Schools will be participating in the National School Walkout on March 14, 2018.
Hope you had a safe and cozy snow day! At least the frozen flakes have Beacon's reservoirs filling up - the drought level has been lifted thanks to this season's rain and snowfall. Kick your cabin fever to the curb during these last days of winter by getting out there to take your favorite class (or the intriguing class you've never taken), get some retail therapy, and sit in on a cultural experience. Your highlights for the weekend and week ahead are below.
Highlighted below are the events, classes, workshops and shopping that you need to factor into your weekend plans, as well as your out-and-abouts next week!
CANCELED Reel Life Film Club presents “First Position”
Day: Friday, March 2, 2018 Time: 6 pm Location: Howland Public Library, 477 Main St., Beacon, NY Due to the weather, the library is closed. Check back to see if this event will be rescheduled. Information >
Dutchess Country St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Wappingers Falls
Day: Saturday, March 3, 2018 Time: 1 pm Location: Village of Wappingers Falls, NY Information >
Celebrating Women’s History Month - Opening Reception
Day: Saturday, March 3, 2018 Time: 3 to 5 pm Location: Howland Cultural Center, 477 Main St., Beacon, NY Information >
Howland Chamber Music Circle presents Inon Barnatan, Piano
Day: Sunday, March 4, 2018 Time: 4 pm Location: Howland Cultural Center, 477 Main St., Beacon, NY Information >
Plan ahead and check out what's coming up this month in our Events Guide.
The Artist's Way: A Creative Cluster
Day: Sunday, March 4, 2018 (the beginning of a 12-week series) Time: 1:30 pm Location: A Little Beacon Blog's Space, 291 Main St., First Floor, First Door, Beacon, NY
An Artist's Way group is being held at A Little Beacon Space on Sundays for the 12-week journey that Julia Cameron writes about and teaches via her classic book. This meeting time and space will be a gentle group, where people who are reading the book and going through their journey can share their thoughts and connect with others. The group serves as a connection point and hopes to foster creativity in all and nurture community. Drop-ins welcome if you can't make the entire series. Information >
Thank you to Beacon Pilates for sponsoring the Classes for Adults Guide! For a full list of upcoming classes and workshops of all kinds, visit our Adult Classes Guide.
Updates have started flying in for A Little Beacon Blog's Summer Camp Guide. Get the latest dates from All Sport, Beacon Art Studios Fashion Camp, Camp Robbins, Camp @ the Camp from Beacon Parks and Recreation, Beacon Performing Arts Center, and Common Ground Farm Day Camp.
But that's just the beginning... More updates are coming, so check back often!
Flea Boutique Sale at CreateSpace Day: Saturday, March 3, 2018 Time: 9 am to 6 pm Location: CreateSpace, 145 Main St., Beacon, NY
Blowout Sale! 50% off! PS: This is where this copy of The Artist's Way was found.
BOUTIQUES ON THE WEST END
Luxe Optique 183 Main Street www.luxeoptique.com (across Cliff Street from Beacon Bread Company)
Have you seen these crystal-clear frames by Dita yet? They have gold-tone hardware on the sides. Go ahead - take a closer look at Luxe Optique. These specs will look even cooler on your face.
BOUTIQUES ON THE EAST END PARKING HINT: Park behind 1 East Main by the Hudson Valley Brewery and use the back walkway entrance!
Style Storehouse
484 Main Street www.stylestorehouse.com (near Utensil)
Dress up your spring style with sweet lace bralettes by free people and jewels by Five and Two, Yunis K and Wolf Circus. Are you following Style Storehouse's Instagram yet? You should, it's good...
Lambs Hill Bridal Boutique
1 East Main, Retail #3 www.lambshillbridalboutique.com (near the dummy light)
Lambs Hill has changed up their window for spring! The storefront windows of bridal stores are famous - forever leaving fanciful impressions in the minds of the young dreamers who pass them.
Thank you to the following shops for sponsoring our Shopping Guide - Luxe Optique, Lambs Hill, and Style Storehouse!
Antalek & Moore Insurance Agency
Do you need to find your own health insurance? The agents at Antalek & Moore can help you navigate the journey, as there are a variety of moving parts associated with health insurance coverage. Call them at (845) 831-4300 to start your search.
BeaconArts
The Lip Sync Battle is a joint fundraiser, featuring an all-star cast of Beacon community leaders and other luminaries. They'll battle it out in support of BeaconArts and the Center for Creative Education. Hosted by the fabulous Pissi Myles. Date: Thursday, March 15, 2018 Tickets >
InHouse Design Media
The photographers and designers of InHouse Design Media can help you take amazing pictures for your business's Instagram. This four-week private workshop is like an amazing fitness class, but for your photos. Get fit! Details >
Tin Shingle
Do you ever see this sign hanging from the office door of Tin Shingle in Beacon's historic Telephone Building? If you've ever wanted to watch the webinar that is being produced, while Tin Shingle teaches easy techniques in PR, social media, SEO and more, you can see it right now, in the Replay section of Tin Shingle. Browse the Collection >
Beacon Chamber of Commerce
Meet and mingle with other businesses in Beacon and beyond at the Southern Duchess Country Club on Tuesday, March 6, as the Beacon Chamber of Commerce's membership expands to include other communities who want to work together. You don't have to be a member to attend this meeting, and you can bring a guest! Details >
A Little Beacon Space
The time is right to host your workshop, now you just need a venue. A Little Beacon's Space, conveniently located in the heart of Beacon, is a perfect spot for your audience.
Advertise in A Little Beacon Blog
Pictures shown above are from our advertising partners in the Things To Do In Beacon Guides. We can include your most exciting news here too!
Sponsors make the local media go 'round. Reach our readers and support our publication at the same time. Advertising with A Little Beacon Blog is effective because we design ways to make it work for you. See our Media Kit for ideas!
Back when the Beacon City School District was going through a leadership crisis, with a high rate of superintendent turnover, the Board of Education encouraged the community to participate in surveys so the board could hear what the community wanted in a superintendent. One of the strongest desires that became clear from that process was the need for Communication. Thus, Dr. Matt Landahl was found and hired, and he moved his family to Beacon. Right out of the gate, he has been a robust letter writer, an avid tweeter, and a super blogger for the school. To be real, this is his first year on the job in Beacon, so it is still a trial period. But since Week 1 of the school year, he has been in parents' ears and inboxes, testing the school district's upgraded robo-call system to make sure it works.
This Just In Via Robo-Call - 19 K-9 Teams Sweep All Beacon Schools
Over the past week, parents in the Beacon City School District have received several robo-calls: Someone from the school records a message that gets sent to phones, turned into emails, and is miniaturized into texts. Parents and other caregivers can get informed about something in at least three different ways. And yes, this is a different system from robo-call systems of years past; robo-call systems don't all work this way.
On Thursday, February 22, 2018, the Beacon School District Community was informed - via robo-call - of a threat made to Rombout Middle School.
Partial Message from February 22, 2018 Alert from Dr. Landahl: We want to make you aware of a situation reported to us that involves Rombout Middle School. The Beacon City Police Department received a report yesterday evening of a concern about a potential school violence threat for Rombout Middle School. The School District and the Police Department investigated the matter yesterday evening and concluded that there was no credible threat made against the school.
We will continue to work closely with the Beacon City Police Department in all matters of threats of violence and potential harm reported to either the school district or the police department to ensure that we are working together to safeguard our students, staff, and community.
On Wednesday, February 28, another alert was issued, this time for the Beacon High School. This was also the same day that students in Parkland, Florida, returned to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. According to Time.com, 95 percent of students returned to school that day. Closer to home, around the Hudson Valley, school closures and arrests were happening after threats were made to schools, and weapons caches were found (see our article about that here).
Message from February 28, 2018 Alert from Dr. Landahl: I recently received information that there was writing found at Beacon High School that can be perceived as a threat, with the wording March 1st. Our High School administration has been investigating the incident and we are also working closely with the Beacon Police Department.
This evening, the Beacon Police Department will be doing a sweep of all our buildings and there will be a police officer in our high school all day on March 1st.
Please be advised that all after-school activities will be canceled this evening at Beacon High School. All other buildings in the district will close at 6:00 pm. I will send out a follow-up robo-call once we have an all-clear confirmation from the police department.
We take the safety of our students and staff very seriously and I [will] be in touch soon with an update.
That night, parents had to pick up their children early from after-school activities because something was going to happen in the buildings conducted by the District at 6 pm. We didn't know what specifically was going on, so parents and program leaders just smiled and nodded calmly to each other at Kid Pickup.
The next robo-call came that evening at about 9 pm, informing us that all of the Beacon City Schools had been searched by police officers and 19 K-9 dog units.
Message from February 28, 2018 Alert from Dr. Landahl: This is Matt Landahl with an update regarding school safety. This evening, the Beacon City Police Department, coordinating with our staff, deployed 19 K-9 teams to do an intensive sweep of all six of our school buildings. After each school was swept this evening, the building was secured. After this review, the Beacon Police Department has given us an all clear for the schools. We will be open tomorrow.
We will have one police officer stationed at the high school for the entire school day tomorrow and another police officer stationed between the high school and middle school for additional security.
We take the safety of our students, staff, and school buildings very seriously. We do not find this threat to be credible but we wanted to be extremely cautious in our approach this evening and tomorrow. The Beacon Police Department has done a tremendous job working with us.
I got the robo-call with my elementary-age kids around me, as we were in bedtime mode. They heard my involuntary reaction, and asked what happened. My husband and I have been discussing how we want to tell the kids about what is happening. (And by "discussing," I mean in basically three-minute spurts between news broadcasts or moments tucked into other conversations.)
I told the kids that a threat had been made, and that police dogs searched for bad things and found everything to be safe. The kids asked what a "threat" was, and we had a conversation defining that, with examples, until they understood.
I could see dots getting connected in their minds as to what has been going on around them. "Oh, that's why there was a police officer at my school yesterday!" Ok... didn't know there was a police officer at your school yesterday, but good to know.
How Are The Kids?
Conversations are starting to percolate now among parents. Word on the street (real and virtual) is that kids are handling the increased tensions well, as different stressors pop up all the time in school, and uncomfortable incidents - whether we like it or not - have become par for the course. And it's true. Programs get initiated that we don't always know about (or we missed the memo teachers sent home in kids' folders), so the kids come home telling us about a puppet show that taught them how to tell an adult about sexual abuse. Or how they learned about fire safety from the Fire Chief who came to visit. Or that they ate cabbage for the first time from their school garden. Or that they talked about bullying and what that means or what is or isn't the best way to say something to another person. Or that they had a lock-down drill. Usually parents are informed about lock-down drills (aka active-shooter training) in advance. Recently, parents received a robo-call from the school principal with a report on how the kids did in a lock-down drill.
In my sphere, mentions of homeschooling are coming up, as parents instinctively want to keep their kids home in an environment we all perceive as safe and controlled. But tragic events seem random - remember the sniper in DC all of those years ago, who had the teenager with him? Despite tragic events, we are all going to have to leave our houses. Being part of a community makes us stronger. Locally, there is talk at the school district level of including the homeschooling community in district sports, at the homeschooling community's request.
In Parkland, the high school students are being led in part by their principal, who is sending encouraging messages, some of which come via Twitter. One of the more surprising ways he's cheerleading for his students: He is bringing furry friends onboard, even increasing the number of therapy dogs on campus.
Photo Credit: Screenshot from Principal Thompson's Twitter.
Photo Credit: Screenshot from Principal Thompson's Twitter.
Photo Credit: Screenshot from Principal Thompson's Twitter.
Photo Credit: Graphic based on an image by Nina Schutzman
Today, and yesterday, and days before that, social media has been ablaze with parents and community members talking with each other about school shootings. It's the underlying current in any grocery store encounter, any client meeting, and school pickup or drop off. And Beacon's not alone. So many communities around the country are gripped with fear, dealing with fresh threats to schools by what seem to be vengeful kids. More conversations grow out of each threatening event.
At first, this article was planned to inform about actions taking place within the Beacon City School District, based on questionable threats that came in this week. However, other schools in the area closed yesterday, with Poughkeepsie shuttered for a second day today because of a threat. As one parent put it: "A snow day will be a welcome relief," as a nor'easter approaches the area today.
Schools all over the country are facing similar threats. But listening to the radio for local news upon the morning car commute, and a subsequent catch-up on articles from local newspapers, processing this all became very dizzying.
So What's Happening Around The Hudson Valley?
In brief, and this isn't all of the coverage around what is happening, according to WALL Radio based on an article at MidHudson News and the Albany Times-Union, a father and son in Saugerties were arrested after a cache of illegal guns and homemade weapons were found. On February 21, a student alerted authorities after reading the social media posts of her classmate - an 18-year-old senior - as he was praising the teens behind a 1999 shooting in Columbine, CO. When police interviewed him and his father, they both denied having the weapons at their home. Later, according to the article, the father "went home and removed five guns from his home, including a fully automatic 9mm Uzi and an AR-15 rifle." More weapons were found after a search, and a new warrant is pending. Both men were arraigned; the father was released on his own recognizance, while his son was sent to jail, later released after posting $10,000 bail.
Dutchess Deputy SRO Connected to Pivotal Diversion in Vermont
You may have heard about this NPR report covering the text messages back and forth between a girl and her guy friend at Fair Haven Union High School in Vermont after the Parkland shooting. This incident that followed has prompted the governor of Vermont to reconsider looking at gun control measures. According to the NPR report, the governor is a lifelong gun owner and gun rights supporter, but has amended his position after learning more about the almost-shooting that happened in a high school there.
A high school-aged girl texted a friend of hers letting him know about the Parkland shooting, and he replied with, "That's fantastic, 100% support it." She told him he couldn't say that, and he replied with something about "natural selection." The girl reported it to her school guidance counselor, and events unfolded leading to the friend being arrested and held without bail. Included in that discovery leading up to his arrest was a journal he kept called Diary of an Active Shooter, a list of intended human targets, and a recently purchased shotgun.
Dutchess Deputy Evan Traudt is a School Resource Officer (SRO) at Arlington High School. According to a Poughkeepsie Journal article, he went to Fair Haven Union High School in Vermont. He said that he heard about the report from a social worker at Arlington High School. He immediately called Vermont and got in touch with the agency that handles that school district, and passed along information he had.
The Beacon City School District has been considering having an SRO in its schools (see this statement from Beacon's Superintendent in September 2017). According to the Poughkeepsie Journal article, "though not the standard daily duty of a school resource officer, the events underscore key ideas of having a school resource officer - students or staff can reach out to the officer, someone they know and see every day. Ideally, the officer can step in before tragedy occurs."
Back in Vermont, the governor has said: "I'm open to anything. Everything's on the table." According to the NPR report, the governor's table spread includes:
Supporting a measure that would allow police to temporarily remove a firearm in a case of domestic violence, without a court order.
Giving police the right to seize guns from people deemed dangerous.
Raising the age for someone to purchase a gun to 21.
Considering universal background checks, magazine capacity limits and other changes.
Meanwhile In Poughkeepsie...
At the Poughkeepsie Journal, school beat reporter Nina Schutzman has been covering the unfolding events, and summed it up in one Facebook screenshot:
Photo Credit: Nina Schutzman
In one instance, according to this Poughkeepsie Journal article, a threat was made to the BOCES Tech Center in Hyde Park through the social media platform Snapchat, which shows a short video for 24 hours, then the video disappears. A message sent from a person on that platform threatened to "shoot up the school." The Dutchess County Sheriff's Office responded, and charged a teenage girl from Pawling with "making a terroristic threat, a felony, and falsely reporting an incident, a misdemeanor," according to the article. After investigating, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal article, "the threat was found to be non-credible, according to police, and there was no indication that staff or students were in danger at any point." The girl has since been arraigned, during which time she was ordered to take a mental health evaluation, and will report to probation and be electronically monitored.
Shaking Off - Or Breaking Through - The Discomfort Zone
This is all extremely uncomfortable and difficult to talk about because so many issues are colliding at one time:
Freedom to bear arms.
The right to protect oneself.
Unhappy children and teens.
What happens next to teens who are arrested after making threats? School expulsion and isolation didn't prevent the Parkland shooting. Clearly, some students who are emotionally upset and depressed begin to think of guns as a solution.
Feelings of unpreparedness in active-shooter situations; simply saying the words "active-shooter situations" makes the stomach turn with a variety of uncomfortable feelings.
So we're exploring these issues, and will be delivering a few more articles on the topic in order to break through the discomfort zone to help our community feel and stay safe. Updated articles will be posted below as they get published:
Last weekend in Beacon, you may have been thinking, "Oh no, rain again?" Which is almost exactly what Beacon's Water and Sewer Superintendent was thinking, but with a little more enthusiasm - "Oh yes, rain again!!"
Thanks to the recent rain and snow showers, Beacon has been removed from drought status after the February 14, 2018 read of Beacon's three reservoirs, according to Beacon's City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero at the 2/20/2018 City Council Meeting. (Anthony's comments start about 51 minutes into the video.)
"The City’s reservoirs continue to replenish. With the recent snow storms and rain showers, all three reservoirs are now above the drought limits," reported Anthony at the meeting.
"Mount Beacon continues to recharge at a steady rate and should be full within the next few weeks. Cargill, being the largest of the three reservoirs, will still need more precipitation, but has recovered 12 feet of capacity in the past month." According to the report, the Cargill reservoir is down 10 feet, while Mount Beacon is down 6 feet and Melzingah (the smallest) is full, which was predicted at the water reading prior to this one.
That meeting is open to the public, and starts at 7 pm on Wednesday, March 14. It will be held at the Municipal Building, down the hill from Bank Square, toward the train station.
Tin Shingle is an empowerment center for businesses, artists, makers and nonprofits who are working on ways to get the word out about what they do. Tin Shingle's platform trains creators like yourself in ways to get PR, use social media, understand SEO (aka getting found in Google), sending newsletters, and more. Putting yourself out there can be a scary concept, but Tin Shingle guides you to face this fear head-on, to help you break through to your audience. Once you open for business and hang your shingle, you can't sit back and wait for the people! You must go out there and reach them to help them come in (both figuratively and literally)!
During this month of love, Tin Shingle wants to help you dig in and give back to your business. Although Tin Shingle's membership is nationwide, its headquarters is in Beacon (sharing an office with A Little Beacon Blog!) and offers an opportunity for its members at the Community Level of Membership to connect in person on the last Monday of each month at noon. But this month, the meeting will be open to all.
Connecting business owners, artists and makers is so important to Tin Shingle, because when people come together, fresh ideas fly. You begin to think bigger, and come away with new visions and strategies to help your business grow.
Tin Shingle's Kick A** Member Meeting
Yes, it's called the Kick Ass Member Meeting because that is how you will feel after leaving with a plan. This hourlong meeting will have several parts. Indulge in this session of talking shop with other like-minded business owners who probably share several of your challenges and triumphs.
Workshop: Bring the magazines you want your business to be featured in. We will all be doing our homework by clipping ideas, and identifying writers and editors to follow up with for a fresh PR pitch.
Brain Picking: If there's an expert in the room, you can pick their brains! Tin Shingle's owner Katie will be there, which means you can ask your questions about SEO, Social Media, Business Strategies, and PR. Katie also runs A Little Beacon Blog.
Idea-ating: Through all of this, you're bound to come up with new ideas to tackle this week or month. We're looking forward to hearing them!
Where: 291 Main St., Beacon, NY 12508, First Floor, First Door When: Today - Monday, February 26, at noon
COMMUNITY MEMBERSHIP LEVEL - $45/month The Community Membership with Tin Shingle is our entry-level membership and includes:
FEEDBACK: Inclusion in our Private Facebook Community to ask your questions and get quick answers about PR, Marketing, Social Media, Websites, and more.
BOARDS: Submit your Press Releases and Media Pitches to our group, and receive feedback and suggestions to make them better.
PROFILE: Get listed on Tin Shingle's website and Business Directory, which is searched by the media and potential customers and clients.
This has been a message from our sponsor, Tin Shingle. Thank you for supporting businesses who support us! To reach our readers with an article and newsletter like this, see our Media Kit.
Support for this publication comes in part from these businesses. We have highlighted what makes them special on their own dedicated pages. Want your business listed here? See the "Sponsor Spotlight" or "Event Promotion" option in our Advertising Page.
A podcast from A Little Beacon Blog. Your hosts: Katie Hellmuth martin & Brandon Lillard.
The City of Beacon entered into a contract with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley to provide increased access to Beacon tenants facing eviction. They may also be able to help with sources of rent arrears assistance. Call the paralegal, Steven Mihalik at 845-253-6953 to inquire.
Dutchess County Helpline. Open 24/7 to take your calls, listen, and give you resources.
